Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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592. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures his Department is evaluating to deliver higher density housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54809/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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National Strategic Outcome No. 1 of the National Planning Framework (NPF), which was first published in 2018 and revised in 2025, relates to ‘Compact Growth’, a core objective of the strategy, which seeks to address the impacts of sprawl that characterised Ireland’s patterns of development in recent decades.

In support of the NPF ‘compact growth’ objectives, the ‘Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements, Guidelines for Planning Authorities’ were issued as Ministerial Guidelines in January 2024, under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). Section 28 provides that planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála shall have regard to Ministerial Guidelines and shall apply any specific planning policy requirements (SPPRs) of the Guidelines, within the meaning of Section 28 (1C) of the Act of 2000, in the performance of their functions.

The Settlement Guidelines state that to achieve compact growth, it will also be necessary to increase the scale of new buildings in all parts of our cities and towns, with highest densities at the most central and accessible urban locations, particularly in city centres and close to public transport nodes and interchanges. The SRDCSGs contains density ranges that respond to settlement size (e.g. cities, towns and villages) and general locality in each settlement (i.e. central areas, urban neighbourhoods and suburban areas/areas of urban extension).

Fulfilling the objectives of the NPF and Settlement Guidelines will require a substantial increase in housing output of all types, and need a renewed focus on the delivery of apartments, particularly in city and town centres and areas accessible by public transport. The delivery apartments is particularly challenging and there is a considerable gap between the cost of building an apartment and comparable market prices. Increased costs also present an ongoing challenge to the delivery of social and affordable housing schemes.

The ‘Planning Design Standards for Apartments, Guidelines for Planning Authorities’ were issued under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) in July 2025. The Apartment Guidelines include policies relating to apartment mix/typologies, space standards, dual aspect ratios, floor to ceiling heights, stair/lift cores, and amenity spaces. The overall purpose of the Guidelines is to reduce costs and strike an effective regulatory balance, ensuring that apartment development meets the needs of society in terms of standards and quality, while promoting an increased level of output overall.

To give greater effect to the Apartment Guidelines and facilitate the expedited construction of permitted apartment developments, the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025 inserted a series of amendments into the Act of 2000 to enable a streamlined modification process for existing uncommenced planning permissions for apartments. This amendment will allow the holder of an existing permission to apply to local authorities or An Coimisiún Pleanála for a certificate to make a limited number of modifications to the permission where such modifications are made in accordance with the SPPRs in the new Guidelines.

Under the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2024, Ministerial Guidelines will, over time, be reviewed and replaced, as appropriate, with National Planning Statements (NPSs). In the interests of clarity all existing guidelines will continue to have effect until such time as they are replaced by an NPS or revoked.

The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme supports the building of apartments in urban cores for sale to owner-occupiers. The Scheme aims to activate the supply of units which otherwise would not be delivered due to viability challenges by providing funding support to bridge the current "Viability Gap" between the delivery cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost of building is greater).

Since the Scheme launched, four calls for Expression of Interest have been completed. To date, 13 developments, delivering over 1,600 apartments have been approved. This represents a funding commitment of roughly €200m. The Housing Agency continues to assess remaining applications under the previous calls. Details of the approved schemes are available on the Housing Agency website: (www.housingagency.ie/CroiConaitheCities).

Furthermore, the Land Development Agency is also targeting 8,000 new homes over the course of the Project Tosaigh market engagement and partnership initiative, and is currently on track to deliver 5,000 new homes to eligible households by the end of 2026.

There is a commitment in the Programme for Government that a new, all of government, national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by multi-annual funding will be published.

The new plan will provide the strategic framework to support the delivery of 300,000 new homes during the period of the Plan and identify actions to support a more sustainable housing system moving forward.

The plan will take a whole of government approach, as Housing for All did, and my Department has been engaging across Government to agree the high-level measures that will be included.

A programme of targeted stakeholder engagement has been undertaken. Written submissions have been received from across Government and from a range of external stakeholders including state agencies, the community and voluntary sector, industry and academics. These submissions have been carefully considered.

I have also met with many stakeholders to hear first-hand what actions they think should be reflected in the Plan.

In addition the outcome of the National Development Plan Review in July 2025 will be reflected in the Plan, which provided for records levels of capital expenditure by Government on infrastructure including housing.

The new Housing Plan will be published shortly.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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593. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way in which modern methods of construction are currently being utilised to increase housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54810/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is a collective term which describes innovative construction alternatives to traditional construction.

The Programme for Government contains a range of initiatives to support MMC. These include an MMC Innovation Fund to directly fund new and existing factories, as well as targets for MMC use in at least 25% of all State-backed housing, resourcing the National Standards Authority of Ireland to ensure regulatory certificates are issued in a timely manner, and broadening the rollout of MMC training programmes.

My Department, working closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and other relevant stakeholders, is progressing work to increase delivery capacity in the residential construction sector through promoting the adoption of MMC.

Under Housing for All a range of initiatives have already been put in place to support MMC. These include the Accelerated Delivery Programme to deliver over 1,500 MMC dwellings through Local Authorities led by my Department. In addition, building on this experience Wexford County Council are currently tendering a 3D Pilot Project of 22 social housing units utilising offsite three dimensional construction methods which are essentially what are referred to as modular units. Other initiatives include the Construct Innovate Technology Centre, the National Demonstration Park for MMC and the National Construction Training Centre at Mount Lucas, the Build Digital project, the Built to Innovate initiative; Training for industry, procurers and Building Control in MMC; Publication of the Modern Methods of Construction Introductory Guide, and the establishment of the Timber in Construction Working Group.

On Friday 3 October last, my Department published the Design Approaches study to raise awareness and actively promote the adoption of standardised housing design including layouts, construction methodology, building services and building components, which can reduce costs and promote Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), while also maximising sustainability and maintaining quality.

In promoting MMC, using new technologies, and as we seek to reduce the carbon footprint of our built environment, the Government will also ensure that we can have confidence in the quality of our new systems. Compliance with high standards, including compliance with all parts of the Building Regulations, will continue to be central to the success of MMC in Ireland.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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594. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures his Department is evaluating to promote the conversion of older buildings for housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54811/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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This Government is committed to tackling vacancy and dereliction. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, published in January 2023, set out the range of measures and actions being pursued to return vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes.

In March, I published the 2025 Progress Report which shows the significant progress that is being made and it is available on my Department's website at the following link: gov - Vacant Homes Action Plan 2023-2026 (www.gov.ie).

(www.gov.ie/en/publication/df86c-vacant-homes-action-plan-2023-2026/).

One of the key measures in the Action Plan supporting the refurbishment of older, vacant and derelict buildings for housing is the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. The grant can provide up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for use as homes and up to €70,000 where the property is derelict.

The grant has been, and continues to be, very successful in bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use and making the refurbishment of these properties an affordable option for buyers across the country.

To the end of June 2025, over 13,700 grant applications have been received across the country, almost 10,000 have been approved and over 2,800 grants have been paid, amounting to over €155 million.

My Department publishes data on the grant on its website on a quarterly basis, providing breakdowns by local authority. This data can be accessed at the following link: .

A comprehensive review of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was undertaken in 2024. The review considered all aspects of the scheme. The findings of the review have been considered in the context of the development of the new Housing Plan.

There are a wide range of other schemes in place which also support the refurbishment and conversion of older buildings for housing.

The Repair and Leasing Scheme provides an interest free loan of up to €80,000 per home delivered, to support the refurbishment and conversion of vacant buildings for use as social housing. The scheme is increasingly used to renovate vacant commercial properties, including 'Above the Shop' spaces.

Planning exemptions are available for the conversion of certain vacant, commercial properties into residential use and these are proving successful in bringing new life into cities and towns around the country. In 2024 over 290 exemption notifications were received for over 700 homes, the highest yearly figure since their introduction.

My Department also supports local authorities, with funding available under the Social Housing Investment Programme to acquire and redevelop vacant and derelict buildings, from single properties to more extensive buildings, for use as social housing.

Through the Living City Initiative, a tax relief can be claimed for money spent on refurbishing or converting old residential or commercial buildings in 'Special Regeneration Areas'. The scheme aims to bring life back into heart of these areas by encouraging people to maintain and convert suitable properties.

In Budget 2026, Minister Donohoe announced enhancements to the Living City Initiative scheme and also its extension to 2030, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to tackling dereliction and supporting regeneration in our cities and regional centres. The scheme will be extended to the five regional centres under the National Planning Framework - Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo. The process of extending the schemes to these areas will begin over the coming period with the assistance of the relevant Local Authorities in mapping the Special Regeneration Area for each of the five centres.

A new Derelict Property Tax was also announced in the Budget. This tax will replace the Derelict Sites Levy, and it will be collected by the Revenue Commissioners. These measures will support the many existing measures introduced to tackle vacancy and dereliction.

Last year, my Department published a revised "Bringing Back Homes" guidance manual. The manual provides property owners, members of the public, local authorities and those involved in the construction industry with clear and detailed guidance to facilitate the reuse of old and vacant buildings – bringing them back as homes.

The new Programme for Government, "Securing Ireland’s Future", includes a range of commitments to continue our work in tackling vacancy and dereliction and supporting town centre living. These measures are currently being considered in the context of the forthcoming National Housing Plan.

I firmly believe that the commitment Government has made to addressing vacancy and dereliction and the actions taken will continue to play a vital role in delivering homes across the country.